Did you know?
Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word
will
- definition
What are red words?
90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.
Thesaurus
The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.
more
/wɪl/ 
| singular | will |
| plural | wills |
- 1[countable/uncountable] someone’s determination to do what is necessary to achieve what they wantstrong/iron will:
Mr. Wolski had an iron will and learned to walk again.
the will to do something:Without the will to win, the team won’t go far.
battle/clash of wills:a clash of wills between a manager and an employee
- a.[singular] what someone wants to happenwill of:
For once politicians are listening to the will of the people.
against someone’s will:He claims he was held in the apartment against his will.
impose your will on someone (=make other people do what you want):She was a powerful ruler, used to imposing her will.
See also
goodwill - b.See also free will
- 2[countable] legal a legal document that explains what you want to happen to your money and possessions after you die. This is often more formally called a last will and testamentmake/write a will:
I really should make a will, just in case something happens.
in someone’s will:Ed’s father didn’t leave him anything in his will.
See also living will
phrases
at will
where there’s a will, there’s a way
with the best will in the world
British spoken
This is the American English definition of will. View British English definition of will.
Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.
vocal fry
a speech habit in which a speaker lowers their voice at the end of a sentence
BuzzWord ArticleWord of the Day
zeugma
the use of a word twice in the same sentence but with different meanings. The sentence ‘She...
Open Dictionary
conflict mineral
a mineral which is mined in a place where there is armed conflict, and sold to help pay for weapons
add a wordMore submissions
view entriesBlog
A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.
global English and language change from our blog